Current VP Kamala Harris is qualified to become America’s first Black female president. With the right running mate and Divine Nine power, she can win. Credit: AP.
The question everyone has been asking in hushed tones now grows to a roar: Can Kamala Harris beat Donald Trump? We know she’s more talented, more qualified, and isn’t a self-serving convicted felon. But is America ready for a Black female president?
I hope so. The future of American democracy might depend on it.
Harris’ sudden candidacy represents hope that is desperately needed among the centrist and left-leaning American electorate, many of whom in recent months have begun severely questioning whether President Joe Biden could beat Trump (that’s another discussion entirely). Now that Biden has decided to step aside (whatever the reason), it’s time for us to line up behind Harris.
Yes, I know she’s not officially the nominee (that can’t happen until delegates at the Democratic National Convention nominate her). But there’s no question she should be. For one, she’s second in command, so it’s a natural progression. Secondly, as a former prosecutor, Attorney General, Senator and Vice-President, she is the most qualified. Third, if the DNC passed her over, Black women in particular would be giving a serious side-eye (and we know the power of voting Black women). Allies disseminated a logic about why Harris would be the natural successor: She could seamlessly inherit the campaign’s massive war chest; her law enforcement background is best suited to prosecute the political case against Trump; polling shows she can win; and having been the nation’s first multiracial and woman VP could galvanize a new generation of younger progressives.
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Harris has been on a yo-yo string with Democratic Party bigwigs since that cataclysmic debate performance catapulted her boss out of a sure 2024 nomination. Weeks before Biden stepped aside – and swiftly endorsed Harris to be the 2024 nominee – the vice president had emerged as the most logical replacement to top the ticket after Democrats turned on Biden, fearful that he would hand Trump a victory.
AP Photo.
But from the start, there has been a hesitancy to fully embrace the country’s second-in-command, with some Democrats openly overlooking her. When a group of 24 former House Democrats sent Biden a letter last week lobbying for an open convention in August, it made no mention of Harris.
The 59-year-old Harris may seem the obvious strategic page turn for the party as well as a generational shift. Her life has been an acrobatic twist and turn, filled with personal challenges and accomplishments, including political tests in her home state of California similar to what she and the country face now.
She’s ready. Are we?
But some wonder whether a country bitterly divided by cultural issues around race, gender, and family – already seemingly poised to return Trump to power – is ready for a woman of color to sit in the Oval Office. After all, many argue, they didn’t put a white woman into office (You know, because her emails….). So, would America really turn out to vote for a Black woman?
“Win With Black Women” has been meeting for over a year, to discuss ways to get more Black women elected. Normally, they have 200 people on the call. Last night, they had so many people try to join the call that the system crashed. Ultimately, more than 40,000 people joined the call. A Facebook group, Black Women for Kamala, jumped to more than 30,000 people in a matter of hours. A handful of alumni of Hillary Clinton’s and Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaigns have come together to form United for Harris, so far the first public-facing effort to promote a potential 2024 presidential campaign for Harris. And numerous politicians have come out and endorsed her. Oh, and the Dems raised over $50 million in one day after the announcement. Yes, we’re ready. We just have to put in the work and keep the momentum through November.
The right candidate, the right time
Harris is the right candidate to take on Trump. Important swing states like North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Nevada have large Black communities, that may be energized to put the first Black female president in office. Women, pregnant people, and those who love them of every gender may also see an ally in Harris to help reinstate the protections Roe v. Wade once offered.
Trump is leading in the polls, but his lead can be overcome. The truth is that nowhere in this country will be safe if Trump wins the presidency again, and we have to vote like it. The Democratic Party did what folks asked them to do — they convinced Biden to step aside, no easy feat — and now it’s our turn to line up behind the candidate most likely to defeat Trump.
While Kamala no doubt has the credentials, some will still not be keen on the idea of a woman – let alone a Black woman – leading the country. We can only hope those voters share enough disgust over Trump to forget their traditional misogyny when it comes to the top job.
Divine Nine Power
Kamala Harris speaks at the recent Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated National Conference. Harris, a member of AKA, is rallying support from members of the Divine Nine. Credit: AP
Kamala also has the power of the Divine Nine—the hundreds of thousands of members of historically Black fraternities and sororities (if you don’t know what that is, ask somebody). They were crucial in getting Biden/Harris in the White House on the first go-round. Now, they’re mobilizing again. Churches are mobilizing. Communities are mobilizing. Black women are mobilizing. So yeah, we got this.
But we’re not saying vote for Kamala because she’s Black (Ben Carson and Tim Scott are Black, and we aren’t capping for them in any shape, form, or fashion). Vote for Kamala because she’s the most qualified. She’s our best hope against Trump. And no one should assume it’s in the bag. Kamala has the Talented Tenth. But she has to get out there to the rest of the world and SHOW them why she should be president. The great thing is she has been clear, she wants to EARN every vote.
This is our chance to make history, to move forward as a nation, and to ensure that the hands of time aren’t turned back. We must seize this opportunity. The time is now!
P.S – If you’re still on the fence about supporting Kamala Harris, Google Project 2025. If that can’t drive you to the polls, I don’t know what can.
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